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DOJ claims iBookstore collusion, Apple denies price-fixing

In response to a U.S. Justice Department court filing alleging that Apple engaged in a price-fixing scheme with book publishers, Apple claims that it acted legally, and negotiated different agreements with the publishing companies. A filing from Apple says that the publishers decided on their own to eliminate wholesale e-book discounts and take other steps in an attempt to get Amazon to raise its prices. Additionally, Apple’s filing describes tough negotiations with the publishers. “Apple did not conspire to fix eBook pricing,” Apple spokesman Tom Neumayr said in an email.

The DOJ, however, cites statements former Apple CEO Steve Jobs made as evidence of conspiracy — the evidence includes an email sent to the CEO of a publisher’s parent company and a statement made to Jobs’ biographer. Apple remains the only entity in the suit that has not settled since the case started in April 2012 — all publishers involved have settled with the Justice Department. [via Reuters, Bloomberg]